Pompeii and Prominent Women - The House of Julia Felix
We had another interesting lecture recently at my Italian Renaissance class in the I.P.A.V. by Prof. Lynda Mulvin. It was about women who were very powerful in Pompeii. I've written about Pompeii before as I was there last July and found it a fascinating place.I would love to have had this lecture before I went as it would have made it even more meaningful. One of the women , Julia Felix really took my interest as she was so enterprising. She had a large property and after the earthquake in 62AD she turned part of it into apartments which she rented out so she could pay for the refurbishment of her villa. After the first excavation in 1755 this notice was found on the north facade of her building.
' In the estate of Julia Felix, Daughter of Spurious'
TO LET
'Elegant Venus Baths for respectably people, shops with upper rooms, and apartments from the 13th August next to 13th August of the sixth year, for five continuous years.The lease will expire at the end of the five years.
This could almost be an add on Daft .ie. The house itself was a combination of indoor and outdoor areas built around courtyards onto which the main rooms opened. The apartments were richly decorated with Frescoes etc. and this would indicate there were intended for richer and higher status customers. She was certainly an enterprising woman and I would love to know what happened to her. In the 1950's when the full excavation was taking place a skeleton of a woman was found in her garden. She was adorned with gold earrings, a gold necklace with pearls and gold rings. There is no proof that this was Julia trying to escape the volcano like many others but its possible.
' In the estate of Julia Felix, Daughter of Spurious'
TO LET
'Elegant Venus Baths for respectably people, shops with upper rooms, and apartments from the 13th August next to 13th August of the sixth year, for five continuous years.The lease will expire at the end of the five years.
This could almost be an add on Daft .ie. The house itself was a combination of indoor and outdoor areas built around courtyards onto which the main rooms opened. The apartments were richly decorated with Frescoes etc. and this would indicate there were intended for richer and higher status customers. She was certainly an enterprising woman and I would love to know what happened to her. In the 1950's when the full excavation was taking place a skeleton of a woman was found in her garden. She was adorned with gold earrings, a gold necklace with pearls and gold rings. There is no proof that this was Julia trying to escape the volcano like many others but its possible.